Monday, June 11, 2012

Bizarre Goings-on at the Vatican Bank (again)

I'm not sure I'd take this story at face value.
With the V. Bank's history you never know what these guys are really up to.
From the Guardian:

Vatican bank's former president accused of negligenceEttore Gotti Tedeschi left post as head of the Institute for the Works of Religion last month amid complaints from colleagues

The ousted head of the Vatican
bank came under a withering counter-attack at the weekend as his former
top official accused him of negligence and leaked documents were
published casting doubt on his mental health.

The Vatican
meanwhile warned Italian prosecutors against using information in papers
seized last week from the bank's ex-president, saying it may be covered
by the Holy See's "sovereign prerogatives".

The
financier was last week reported to have prepared a series of dossiers
to be sent to named individuals in the event of his sudden death.
According to an Italian prosecutor, Gotti Tedeschi has said his problems
at the bank started after he demanded to see "information about
accounts that were not in the church's name"....MORE

It seems like only yesterday we were reading "Italy: The Great Vatican Bank Mystery"

A tale of two deaths, twelve investigations and missing millions
Two suicides, both of which could conceivably be murder. As much as $1.2
billion in unsecured loans. The failure of Italy's huge Banco
Ambrosiano, which has left more than 200 international financial
institutions holding the bag for millions in loans. A scandal that has
threatened the stability of the entire international banking system and
has begun to bring about subtle changes in the way the world's major
banks do business. A secret plot to undermine the government of Italy
and to change the shape of politics in several Latin American
countries....

Italian authorities seized euro23 million ($30.18 million)
from a Vatican bank account Tuesday and said they have begun
investigating top officials of the Vatican bank in connection with a
money laundering probe.
The Vatican said it was "perplexed and surprised" by the investigation.

Italian financial police seized the money as a precaution and
prosecutors placed the Vatican bank's director general and its chairman
under investigation for alleged mistakes linked to violations of Italy's
anti-laundering laws, news reports said.

The is probe not the first time the bank — formally known as the
Institute for Works of Religion — has faced trouble. In the 1980s, it
was involved in a major scandal that resulted in a banker, dubbed "God's
Banker" because of his close ties to the Vatican, being found hanging
from Blackfriars Bridge in London....MORE